Sedn february 2015

Sustainable Energy & Development News

VOL.1 FEBRUARY 2015

THE MONTHLY REVIEW OF SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT NEWS IN THE CARIBBEAN FROM THE REGION”S LEADING INFORMATION PLATFORMS

This publication is prepared by the Caribbean Energy Information System

What’s Happening Across The Region...

Wigton Windfarm Earns $500 million MANDEVILLE, Manchester - It’s not just that the Wigton Windfarm in Manchester is helping to gradually reduce Jamaica’s oil bill while producing “clean” energy.

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5Cs Leads Four Country Risk Management Talks, Round two A team from the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5Cs), along with representatives from the UK based consulting group Acclimatise, are leading a series of high-level workshops in Suriname, Barbados ...

Read more Manning’s School Gets New Greenhouse Deputy chairman of Manning’s School’s board and attorney Michael Palmer (right) assists Manning’s School past student and Food for the Poor director Debbie-Ann Gordon-Crawford...

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FEBRUARY 2015 IN REVIEW BE IN THE KNOW ON RENEWABLE ENERGY

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CIPORE EVENTS See All Events

Energy Rennovation of Public Buildings February 2-3, 2015 Denmark Climate Leaership Conference February 23-25, 2015 The Ritz Carlton Pentagon City Arlington VA, USA Globalcon Conference & Expo March 17-18, 2015 Philadelphia PA, USA

Argus-ElitePlus++ India Oil And Gas Summit 2015 March 18-19, 2015 TBC/Dehli/India

28-02-2015 || AC/DG: The Powerful Appeal of Getting off the Grid British billionaire Richard Branson struck a monumental partnership with NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) last year to shift his 74-acre Necker Island to 75% renewable energy by the end of 2015. Retail electricity prices on small Caribbean islands are expensive because they rely on imported oil to power generators. While the recent plunge in oil prices has provided some relief, gas and electric prices on the islands are still exorbitantly high. One of the primary reasons Branson was able to embark on this endeavor is because the cost of solar photovoltaic technology has come down exponentially. The average price of a completed PV system has dropped by 33% since the beginning of 2011, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Read more 28-02-2015 || Government Remains Resolute in Reducing Energy Bill Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell says the Government, through the implementation of sustainable programmes, remains resolute in reducing the country’s energy bill. He said that some of these programmes, worth billions of dollars, are being undertaken in collaboration with private sector stakeholders and will redound to the benefit of all Jamaicans. He made the remarks at a workshop for the introduction of a media tool kit for media practitioners at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston on Friday, February 27. These programmes include: the proposed construction of a $10. 2 billion 36.3 megawatt wind farm at Munro, St. Elizabeth of which was recently...Read more 28-02-2015 || St. Thomas Solar Project Put to Work ST. THOMAS - With the official dedication of the new solar energy facility in Estate Donoe on Wednesday, the territory now is getting about 8 percent of its peak load from a renewable resource. The 17,960 solar panels carpet the rolling valley along the Donoe Bypass, soaking up the sun to make power. The $20 million solar facility will be owned and operated by Main Street Power, the company that built the project, for the next 25 years. The power generated at the facility will be sold to the V.I. Water and Power Authority and will lower ratepayers’ bills by about 3 to 5 percent, according to WAPA. He project at Donoe is generating about 4.2 megawatts of power, which will be 5 megawatts after it is converted to direct current. Read more

REPORTS World Energy Scenarios: Composing Energy Futures To 2050 Sustainable Energy and its Use Challenges to Renewable Energy in the Caribbean Jamaica Sustainable Energy Roadmap: Pathways To An Affordable, Reliable, Low-Emission Electricity System Climatescope 2014 : New Frontiers for Low-Carbon Energy Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean

DOCUMENTS National Energy Plan - Final Draft Commonwealth of Dominica Sustainable Energy Plan - Final Draft - Commonwealth of Dominica Jamaica Public Service Company Limited Standard Offer Contract for the Purchase of As-Available Intermittent Energy from Renewable Energy Facilities up to 100kW - May 2012 JPS Amended and Restated All-Island Electric Licence 2011 The Changing Energy Landscape in the Caribbean 1999 - 2008 (10 Years Impact Assessment Report) Available at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) A New Paradigm for Caribbean Development: Transitioning to a Green Economy

27-02-2015 || $3.3 Billion to be Spent on Smart Grid Infrastructure Central America and the Caribbean have plans to invest $3.3 billion in smart grid infrastructure over the next decade. This is part of a plan to lower the high cost of electricity in the region by using more renewable energy and tackling high non-technical losses. “The Central America and Caribbean region is endowed with a wealth of untapped renewable energy resources. Smart grid infrastructure investment ... Read more 26-02-2015 || Ground Breaking for 36.3MW Wind Farm in Malvern Ground was broken yesterday for the 36.3 megawatt wind farm at Malvern, St Elizabeth which government and investors say forms part of a concerted push to reduce Jamaica’s US$2-billion oil bill through the use of renewable energy. The project, located close to Munro College, at one of the highest and most windswept points in the Santa Cruz Mountains -- across the road from an existing Jamaica ...Read more 23-02-2015 ||The Turks & Caicos Islands are Going Renewable The Turks & Caicos have become the latest islands to join the Ten Island Challenge, designed to support the shift to a cleaner future in the Caribbean. The Ten Island Challenge is all about finding renewable solutions to the Caribbean islands’ heavy dependence on fossil fuels and sky-high electricity prices. This move doesn’t just lessen CO2 in the atmosphere, but gives the islands the opportunity to ...Read more 23-02-2015 || St Vincent and the Grenadines’ New Airport Will Be Solar-Powered The new planned airport in St Vincent and the Grenadines will derive part of its energy needs from solar energy. The Argyle International Airport, set to debut in St Vincent later this year, will be creating a 218 kVa solar energy farm. The farm would initially generate about 35 percent of the airport’s solar light and air-conditioning needs. On Monday... Read more 23-02-2015 || Island Energy Transitions: Pathways for Accelerated Uptake of Renewables The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the French Government, with the regional Government of Martinique, will convene this meeting on accelerating the uptake of renewables on islands. Invited participants will discuss: renewable resource assessments as a prerequisite to investment; waste-to-energy systems, which can ...Read more 23-02-2015 ||CDB Steps Up Renewable Energy Drive Bridgetown, Barbados—The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has stepped up its drive to encourage public and private sector investments in sustainable energy—energy efficiency and renewable energy projects as a matter of priority, in spite of lower oil prices. To this end, the bank is expanding the range of funding and technical assistance programmes that can be tapped by governments and commercial interests. Head of the...

Bank’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency unit ...Read more 19-02-2015 || Caribbean Development Bank - Reducing Poverty Through Sustainable Social & Economic Development The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has stepped up its drive to encourage public and private sector investments in sustainable energy – energy efficiency and renewable energy projects as a matter of priority, in spite of lower oil prices. To this end, the Bank is expanding... Read more

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18-02-2015 || Renewable Energy Should Benefit Productive Sector – Robinson Kingston (JIS) — Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Julian Robinson, says the introduction of renewable energy as part of the energy mix, will provide noticeable benefits to the productive sector and by extension the consumers of goods and services. “I think you’re going to see a reduction. For example, we have two new companies that are going to add about 80 .... Read more 17-02-2015 ||IDB Financing Supports the Largest Rooftop PV System in Latin America A USD 5 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will enable Corporación Industrial del Norte, SA (Corinsa), to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roofs of its bottling plant buildings in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.The 3 MW PV array is part of a project with an overall cost of USD 10 million. Upon project completion, the photovoltaic panels will cover 34,000 square meters of ... Read more 8-02-2015 || College Powers Barbados Course Ron Common helped flip the switch on a new renewable energy course at a post-secondary institution in Barbados. The Sault College president attended the launch of a 45-hour photovoltaic installation course at Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic in late January. Seventeen students, all from the island nation, are registered, said Sault College chair of continuing education Ted Newberry in an email. Students learn how to mount solar panels and electronic equipment at commercial ... Read more 7-02-2015 || Paulwell Says Region Should Focus on Energy Transformation GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — Jamaica’s Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell says the region needs to remain focused on priority areas to fully transform the energy sector. In his opening remarks at the 54th special meeting of the Council of Trade and Economic ... Read more 5-02-2015 || CARICOM Special Meetings Focus on CCREEE, Sustainable Energy The Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) and the Caribbean region’s sustainable energy strategies were at the center stage at two Special Meetings of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The ministerial meetings on energy and the... Read more 4-02-2015 || Cohesive Regional Effort Needed to Close Energy Gap – Minister Paulwell While the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has made significant strides in its quest for sustainable energy security, there must be a cohesive regional effort to achieve more. This is the view articulated Monday morning by the Hon. Phillip Paulwell of Science ... Read more 3-02-2015 || Nexus Caribbean Youth Summit Set for Jamaica The Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, the Hon Phillip Paulwell is set to host a crucial meeting with investors and potential investors in relation to Jamaica’s energy sector. The Minister will discuss Renewable Energy opportunities across Jamaica and present the Government’s vision for the sector. According to Minister Paulwell, the meeting is particularly important to attract young and ... Read more

FEBRUARY 2015 IN REVIEW

BE IN THE KNOW ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE 25-02-2015 || How do Agri-food Systems Contribute to Climate Change?

Agriculture and food security are exposed to impacts and risks related to the changing climate in several ways. On the other hand, agriculture and food production activities are also responsible for part of the greenhouse gas emissions that in turn cause climate change. According...Read more

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25-02-2015 || A Future of Floods and Droughts as Climate Changes The Water Partnership Programme (WPP) published a new video that shows how climate change affects the Middle East, Latin America and Central Asia. The video looks at how climate change impacts the poor and most vulnerable populations. It is a free resource for those in the climate change community who want to raise awareness on the issue. The WPP works globally to counter the effects of climate change by ...Read more 18-02-2015 ||CDB President addresses Economic Issues in the Region Dr William Warren Smith BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Caribbean countries recorded “modest” economic growth last year even as the region recorded its fourth consecutive year of economic recovery following the global crisis that had seriously affected their socio-economic development.

President of the Barbados-based Caribbean Development... Read more 18-02-2015 || Bahamian Officials Chosen to Represent Caribbean at International Climate Change Meeting The Ad hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for enhanced Action (ADP) on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) met in Geneva, Switzerland from February 8-13, 2015. The UNFCCC is designed to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases which adversely affect climate change. Ambassador Rhoda M. Jackson, Read more

BE IN THE KNOW ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & renewable energy

Content Administrator, CIPORE Caribbean Energy Information System (CEIS), Scientific Research Council (SRC), Hope Gardens, Kingston 6, Jamaica W.I. 876-927-1779(w) | 876-977-1840(f) | ceis@src-jamaica.org www.ceis-caribenergy.org www.src-jamaica.org

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11-02-2015 || Smart Grid Study Coming Even as the Barbados Light & Power Company reports reduced electricity costs for Barbadians due to falling oil prices, Government is exploring the possibility of enhancing the infrastructure through which electricity is generated in Barbados. As part of a series of studies worth $2.4 million and being funded by the Inter-American Development ...Read more 11-02-2015||’Be Realistic About Sustainable Development’ Clinton Thompson, commissioner of the Mines and Geology Division, has called on environmentalists to be balanced when they lobby for sustainable development. “We have to be realistic,” Thompson said, charging that “many environmentalists go around with this mentality which states, ‘I love omelettes, but don’t break the egg’”. Read more 11-02-2015 || Recording & Slideshow of our ‘Caribbean Climate Risk Management Webinar’ The Caribbean Regional Framework - Recording and Slideshow for the ‘Caribbean Climate Risk Management Webinar’ Presenters: Tyrone Hall, Communications Specialist at the 5Cs; John Firth, CEO of Acclimatise, and Olivia Palin, Programme Leader, Sustainable ...Read more 10-02-2015 || The Caribbean Weather Impacts Group (CARIWIG) Project Supports Risk-Based Decision-Making (Bookmark for updates) The Caribbean Weather Impacts Group (CARIWIG) project is supporting risk-based decision-making in the region. The Project is hosting a policy workshop and training at the Savannah Beach Hotel and the ... Read more 07-02-2015|| Are Fluorescent Bulbs Safe?

With concerns about global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels rising, incandescent lighting is becoming increasingly unpopular and have even been banned in some areas. Fluorescent bulbs, on the other hand, have been increasing in popularity and usage, but concerns ...Read more 06-02-2015 || We are Building a Network of Climate Change Clubs!

The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) welcomed a group of 25 students from the Belmopan Comprehensive High School today for an interactive climate change exchange. The visit forms part of a broader engagement with young people in an effort to create ...Read more 06-02-2015|| ASP Statement on Climate Change in 2015 National Security Strategy (NSS) Today, the Obama Administration released its second official National Security Strategy(NSS), and for the first time it will list climate change as one of the top threats facing the US. While the Obama Administration has consistently placed emphasis on climate change as a ... Read more 05-02-2015 || Fallon on Climate Security In the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Global Challenges and U.S. National Security Strategy, ASP board member Admiral William “Fox” Fallon, United States Navy (Ret.) emphasized how climate change poses threats to our national security. When asked by Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut, “to what extent is climate disruption a ... Read more 03-02-2015 || Climate Change is the Biggest Risk: Lucille Sering The head of the Philippines Climate Change Commission says extreme weather events that have devastated the country are validating what science has long warned and that climate change remains the biggest risk for governments and businesses. Secretary Mary Ann Lucille Sering, commissioner and vice chairperson of the Philippines ...Read more

Argus Australia and Global LNG Markets 2015 New Pricing Paradigm www.argusmedia.com/ausglng 11 March 2014 The fourth annual Argus Australia and Global LNG Markets 2015 conference examines the impact of changing supply and demand fundamentals on the global LNG market and the Australian east coast domestic gas market.

It looks at shifting pricing paradigms, as the LNG market grapples with new supply contracts linked to the US Henry Hub, consumer pressure to move away from the oil index and the challenges of developing liquid gas hubs in Asia.

Top reasons to attend the Argus Australia and Global LNG Markets 2015 1. One day of content intensive hot updates on the Australian east coast gas market 2. Meet with an international expert speaker panel to gain insights into the latest market activities 3. Have personalised discussions with market leaders and understand the strategies that their companies use.

Conference Highlights Include: •

Key drivers in global LNG spot markets

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Outlook for Gladstone spot supplies

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Falling oil prices – what do these mean for future LNG export projects globally?

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Asia and the push away from oil-indexed LNG pricing

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Henry Hub pricing and its impact on Australian LNG

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Examining China’s growth potential - what does the Russia - China pipeline deal mean for Australian

LNG projects?

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LNG netback versus hub gas - which new Australian east coast gas pricing paradigm will prevail?

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Building liquidity and developing a forward curve in east coast gas markets

Conference Speakers: •

Rod Duke, Vice-President Downstream, GLNG

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Chandra Dev Singh, Head of Derivatives - Risk Management, International Trade, Bharat Petroleum

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Geoffrey Cann, Consulting National Director, Oil and Gas, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

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Ryuta Kitamura, Assistant General Manager Sydney, Jogmec

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Darren Foulds, Origination Manager, GDF Suez Australian Energy

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David Hewitt, Oil and Gas Analyst, Credit Suisse

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Rod J Johannessen, General Manager Strategy and Service Delivery, APA Group

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Ross Lambie, Senior Economist/Gas Markets Manager, Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics

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Peter Geers, Executive General Manager, Markets, Australian Energy Market Operator

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Anne-Sophie Corbeau, Research Fellow, Kapsarc

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Fiona Poynter, Vice-President, LNG Asia-Pacific, Argus

For Registration and more details, please contact Ashrafe Hanifar at: ashrafe.hanifar@argusmedia.com / asiaconferences@argusmedia.com / Tel: +65 6496 9977

4th International GREENBUILD BANGLADESH

Bangladesh | India | Singapore Events / March 2015 THE GREENBUILD BANGLADESH EXPO has evolved into one of the most influential trade events for the construction industry. This is the only fair in Bangladesh where every spectrum of the Renewable Energy and Lighting industry is showcased. With exhibits ranging from signage to lighting, display to applications, chips to packaging and equipment to components, the fair offers the most comprehensive one-stop GREENBUILDING sourcing platform

BUSINESS NETWORKING DINNER | GEGES 2015 Summit Title : GEGES POWERCON 2015; An international energy business forum Date: March 12, 2015 | 0730pm – 0930pm Host: ExpoNet Exhibition & POWER CELL| Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Chaired by : Engr. Mr. Mohammad Hossain, Director General, POWER CELL | Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Bangladesh

Summit Title : GEGES BUILDCON 2015;An international Infrastructure business forum Date : March 13, 2015 | 0730pm – 0930pm Host : ExpoNet Exhibition & Department of Architecture Chaired by : Mr. Md. Ahsanul Haque Khan, Chief Architect Department of Architecture | Ministry of Housing and Public Works Bangladesh Exhibition focuses on:  Energy Efficient Machinery & Machine Tools;  Solar PV Technology;